Member States

EMBL is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1974 by ten founding countries: Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy,the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Member states make a contribution to EMBL’s programmes, receive access to all services and programmes and are responsible for all important decisions about the organisation and its activities taken in the EMBL Council. Member states are represented in the EMBL Council by up to two delegates.

In 2003, realising the increasingly global nature of big scientific challenges and the need for international cooperation in research, EMBL introduced the Associate Membership Scheme, making it possible for non-European countries to access all EMBL programmes and services. Associate member states have a reduced membership contribution to the budget of the laboratory and participate in EMBL Council meetings as observers with no voting rights. The first country to become an associate member was Australia in 2008, followed by Argentina in 2014.

In addition, in 2014 the Slovak Republic, Hungary and Poland have become affiliated with EMBL as prospect member states. A prospect member state commits to accede to EMBL after three years and is able to access the laboratory’s services and programmes, and attend Council meetings as an observer.

Therefore, today EMBL is supported by 21 member states, two associate member states and three prospect member states.

EMBL also has close relations with the European Commission (EC), and the EC has an observer status in the EMBL Council. The first agreement on collaboration was signed in 1995 and was renewed with a Memorandum of Understanding in 2011. The Memorandum outlines key areas of cooperation contributing to the completion of the European Research Area.

Finally, upon invitation by the Chair of the EMBL Council, representations of states that are involved in official negotiations with EMBL in view of becoming a member of the organisation can take part in Council meetings as observers.